UK’s Myconeos Limited, a biotech company developing new strains of fungi for food applications, announces a breakthrough that could lead to tastier vegan Brie, Camembert, and other cheeses as well as fermented meat products.
The company, which has developed a breeding platform to cross fungal strains naturally, claims that it has unlocked the sexual cycle of Penicillium camemberti, the strain used in Brie and Camembert cheeses. This discovery, before considered impossible, allows Myconeos to produce new and improved Penicillium camemberti strains for the first time.
Professor Paul Dyer, CTO of Myconeos, says this discovery will promote genetic diversity within the strain’s population, opening the door to a broader range of cheese options with new flavors, textures, and colors.
More importantly, the breakthrough will help the company breed new strains for vegan applications to bridge the quality gap in vegan dairy products and fermented meats.

Bridging the product quality gap
This breakthrough builds on Myconeos’ natural sexual breeding of Penicillium roqueforti, the strain used to produce blue cheeses such as Roquefort, Stilton, and Gorgonzola. The company has produced over 250 strains and tested them to select the best and has launched Mycoforti, a range of novel and unique Penicillium roqueforti cultures for dairy cheese.
“The strains of Penicillium roqueforti sold today were chosen for their performance in dairy products; we are working on breeding a new selection of strains designed to work to the same levels of performance in plant-based dairy,” says Myconeos on its website.
The company says it is breeding other selections of strains to increase choice and improve sensory and product quality in the mold-ripened cheese and plant-based cheese market.

Breeding new strains for notable partners
Additionally, Myconeos says is collaborating with relevant stakeholders to identify and develop strains satisfying manufacturer and consumer needs. According to the company’s website, the German precision fermentation startup Formo and the UK plant food company VBites are partners.
Established in 2018 in Nottingham, Myconeos has secured funds through Foodsparks, a fund for agrifood tech startups. In 2023, the company won a £280K Innovate UK Smart Grant. Its technology platform has resulted in thousands of new fungal strains with potential applications in sustainability and health. It also extends beyond food to agri-tech, plant science, and mycoremediation.
Professor Dyer shares, “We are particularly excited about breeding new strains for vegan applications and delivering products that bridge the product quality gap in vegan dairy. We are now investigating the genetics of the mating process.”